cyn lynn : Our Secret | In-Depth Discussion

A wawaqing connects a shy girl and the smartest boy in class
Notable Actors/Actresses

Chen Zhe Yuan: Zhou Si Yue

Xu Meng Jie (Rainbow): Ding Xian

Director:

Zhang Xiao An

Scriptwriter:

Sun Hao Yang, Gao Jia Qi, Tong Shuang Shuang

Producer:

Yang Yi Jing (杨禕婧)

Chinese Title
暗格里的秘密

The Secret Hidden in a Corner

Genres: Contemporary, Romcom, School, Contemporary Romcom

Network: iQIYI, MangoTV

Year: 2021
Episodes: 24

[Recap and Review]

This is for those who love the drama ~ Spoilers ahead!

Topics Covered in this Discussion:

Wawaqing

Deskmates
Zhou Si Yue's Characterization
Ding Xian's Characterization
Secrets
Siyue the Robot
Ding Xian
Zhou Si Yue * (the hidden detail!!!!)
Zhou Si Yue is her Light
Ding Xian is his Truth
Metaphors: Croco, Robot Siyue, April
Metaphors: Walking Together
20121221; Fireworks
More Symmetry and Balance
Colours
Hamster

*If you find that this is too long (I know), please at least read Zhou Si Yue's secret. You won't regret it!

Wawaqing & Proposals

It’s lovely that Zhou Si Yue and Ding Xian were meant to be starting from their wawaqing. These two have always been engaged, and thrice! Each time was a charm ~

[Ep1] After finishing the drama, I am confident Zhou Si Yue meant to cheer her up with a joke that unfortunately went awry (cancelling the engagement)

[Ep23] Hilariously, their wawaqing is cancelled by the mothers completely unintentionally.
[Ep24] Ding Xian is upset. However, to Zhou Si Yue, what is a wawaqing? He proposes to have them truly engaged and our boy doesn't just propose once, but twice. The second time, he's even in his pjs!! Isn't he so cute? He couldn't wait a second longer. Their romance is simple like that, pure like that, and beautiful like that.

Deskmates (同桌)

Ding Xian and Zhou Si Yue started as deskmates. It’s only right they end as deskmates, and married as deskmates.

Siyue + 同桌 + Croco

[Ep2] Firstly, the best one-liner I’ve heard this year: 哄哄我同桌. There’s just something special in the way he calls her 同桌 ~ or maybe it’s Chen Zhe Yuan’s voice.

[Ep5] For their New Year’s lantern wish, both Ding Xian and Zhou Si Yue had secretly wished to be each other's 同桌. Their wish definitely brought them more ~

[Ep13] Zhou Si Yue: “The horizon of my high school years began with you, so of course when it ends, it has to be with you as my deskmate otherwise it would be too regretful” Although in second year, they were separated, in the end, Zhou Si Yue made sure they were 同桌

[Ep15] And although in university they were also separated for a year, Ding Xian made sure to chase after her 同桌.

[Ep24] And although Zhou Si Yue studied abroad, in the end they are still each other's 同桌 + fiancé

[Extra] Even when married, they're still 同桌 ~ ♥

Zhou Si Yue’s Characterization

Zhou Si Yue starts out as the perfect guy. He also has a mature side to him.

[Ep9] Ding Xian had asked him “What if you’re so tired you turn depressed?” His answer was this: “Are you silly? I'm not as weak as you think. There's bound to be more problems ahead but I definitely won't let you worry about me.”

[Ep12] He also said this to Ding Xian: “I’m different from my father. I don’t let the people I care about suffer.”

Zhou Si Yue seems mature but these were also very immature thoughts. Who is perfect enough to not let someone worry? Who is capable enough to not let the person they love suffer at all?

[Ep23] When he was suspected of company espionage and subsequently released, he cries and apologizes to Ding Xian: “Sorry. I thought I was strong. This past year, I worked like crazy. I wanted to protect you. I never thought that in the end I was the person who would make you (and others) worry. Sorry Ding Xian, I disappointed you.” I think it's after saying this line (and hearing Ding Xian's response) that Zhou Si Yue really matures. It's not love when you don't worry about that person. Ding Xian is that person who will worry for him, suffer with him, and love him to the end. It's what love entails.

It's surprising how Zhou Si Yue started off so perfect but by the end, it's him who's less than perfect especially when compared to Ding Xian.

[Ep21] He would tell Ding Xian to do what she loves, but this idiot will go and sign a slave contract for her.

[Ep5+3] Let's not forget this guy was going to choose Art for her in high school and performed poorly (just enough!) so that he could sit with her.
[Ep23] He would also give up his opportunity abroad to stay with her. Thankfully, he taught Ding Xian well and she lectures him appropriately.

[Ep12] I find that the more Ding Xian sees his imperfection – his parents arguing, his stupid decisions, and his precious tears (the tears!) – the more he feels real to her and the more she loves him (something she alluded to in high school during her short home stay at his place).

As much as Ding Xian plays a pivotal role in motivating Zhou Si Yue, Dad is the catalyst.

[Ep19] Dad's question, “What time is the right time?” turned Zhou Si Yue into a man who lives for the moment. The second time he proposed in his pjs is telling enough how much he no longer wants to wait.
[Ep12+23] I think Zhou Si Yue always idolized his Dad but because of the unhappiness he brought to his family, Zhou Si Yue vowed to be the opposite man until he learned more about his father and appreciated his sacrifices for their family.

Ding Xian's Characterization

The core personality of Ding Xian is her stubbornness (or perseverance / toughness). Perhaps it's this stubbornness, this one track mind of hers that appealed to Zhou Si Yue.
[Ep2] Zhou Si Yue had said this from the very beginning: “Other people may not know, but I know she is 一根筋通到底 stubborn to the very end.” Indeed.
[Ep9] When Zhou Si Yue asked her if he does become depressed, her reply was this: “Then I will unconditionally help you and accompany you.” These words were true.
[Ep15+] Ding Xian relentlessly pursues him, flirts with him, and slaughters him tenderly – the only type of human slaughtering I endorse. She never gave up on him (it was Zhou Si Yue who gave up on himself).

Ding Xian had moments where she gave up on herself too. When the path in front was hazy, Zhou Si Yue was her light ahead. All the times she's uncertain, he was there for her.

[Ep7] When no one listened to what Ding Xian wanted to choose (arts or science), he told her this: “I will (always) support you”. Zhou Si Yue was the first person who enabled her to make a choice for herself.
[Ep16] Then when she makes dumb decisions like going abroad with him, he’s there to stop her over and over again (even though deep down he wants her to be with him).
[Ep20] The moment Zhou Si Yue is back to the guy who supports what she loves, Ding Xian knows her Zhou Si Yue is back.

Zhou Si Yue looks mature, but I think Ding Xian is the one who matured quicker.

[Ep13] When grandma passed away, Ding Xian comforted her Dad.
[Ep13] When Ding Xian could hear the quiet sadness in Zhou Si Yue's voice, she sang to him over the phone.
[Ep23] When Zhou Si Yue looked fine and was tending to her wound, she knew he was breaking inside (because he thought he failed her).

I love it when Ding Xian gets the final scene.

[Ep24] She looks back at her old days, her past self. I’m visually shown how admirable her change was. My gosh, did our wallflower blossom beautifully ~ And yet, at the same time, Ding Xian is still Ding Xian; she kept to her roots and persevered to the end.

Secrets

Siyue the Robot

[Ep22] Firstly, there’s a secret with April (siyue) the Robot. Whenever Ding Xian complains that she’s tired, the robot will show her the galaxy. It’s Zhou Si Yue fulfilling her birthday wish. She wanted a star that never dimmed and so he literally gave her that.
[Ep14] But to Ding Xian, the star that never dims is Zhou Si Yue: “You shine brighter than any star.” The present she had always wanted was Zhou Si Yue ~ and she got him ~

Ding Xian’s Secret

[Ep15] It’s her 暗格里的日记 (Secret Diary) entry: 人在年少時，總會遇見那麼一個少年，他就像一束光進了你的生命裡，成為歲月長河中最耀眼的一瞬 In our youth, we will meet such a person, he’s like a beam of light shining into your life becoming the most dazzling moment (twinkle) of your years (that’s as long as the rivers flow). Zhou Si Yue is her most dazzling star, the one that never dims in her heart.

Zhou Si Yue’s Secret

[Ep24] The finale is filled with all of Zhou Si Yue’s little secrets. First it was him choosing Art for her, then it was the “Ding” carving on his desk, but the real 暗格里的秘密 “Secret in the Hidden Corner” is the note he wrote for her in the corner of her textbook, “I like you, Silly!”. He's the one who confessed first. When did this happen, you ask? I have figured it out! The why! And the when! Eureka!

Firstly, the full scene is never shown in the drama (except Ep24) but there is a scene that proves Ding Xian "always knew".

[Ep7] [~17 min] When Zhou Si Yue said his usual line, “Are you silly?” Her reply was this: “Actually... I'm not silly". Then the whole scene turns romantic that almost seemed out of place. Just what was so romantic about this? Well guys, it's her reply to his confession!!!!! She read his note (“I like you, silly!”) in her textbook and answered him “Actually, I'm not silly”. By replying it that way, she is also indirectly accepting his confession ♥ Another layer of meaning can be added: she's not silly, she knows he likes her.

[Ep6] The next question: Why did Zhou Si Yue write that note? It wasn't random at all. Zhou Si Yue had misunderstood Ding Xian confessed to him~ Remember You Ke Ke's love letter that Ding Xian had to rewrite? Zhou Si Yue didn't know about that yet and he thought he was replying to her confession by writing “I like you ,silly!”!!!!!

[Ep7] And so Ep7 forward, Ding Xian knew he liked her!!! It's also why she suddenly wanted bangs to look pretty for the boy who liked her back. Also when he wore cologne at billiards, she giggled because she knew it was to impress her. No wonder she was so brave in pursuing him in university. She knew all along.

I'm in awe. Drama concealed this detail so thoroughly! There's no way – no way! – anyone on the first watch at Ep7 could have caught this. Impossible. Drama, take my 5.

Zhou Si Yue is Her Light

To Ding Xian, Zhou Si Yue is her light.

[Ep14] This is one of Zhou Si Yue's favourite lines: 彼方尚有荣光在 On the other side, there is a ray of light.
[Ep11] It is a quote that resonates with Ding Xian because Zhou Si Yue is her ray of light. It is him who inspired her to dream bigger, to catch up to this dazzling man.

[Ep14] In her slurry drunk voice, she had said this: "不怕烏云遮月光 , 你比星星更明亮 The dark cloud covering the moonlight isn’t a problem, you shine brighter compared to the stars."

[Ep5] Perhaps from even earlier, Zhou Si Yue was already her light that's brighter than the stars: on her birthday at the museum, she had wished for a star that never dims. Turns out Zhou Si Yue is that star that never dims in her heart.
[Ep15] And do I even need to mention her Secret Diary? The entry where she confesses he is her light.

Ding Xian is His Truth

To Zhou Si Yue, Ding Xian is his truth. She is the centre that stays pure, cleansing him of his negativity. As much as he guided her in high school, in university, she’s his compass.

[Ep21+23] Whenever Zhou Si Yue was lost, Ding Xian was there for him. When he needed assurance that he did the right thing by refusing Su Bo Cong's bribe, he indirectly confided in Ding Xian. When he thought he disappointed everyone, he tried to hide his pain, but Ding Xian immediately saw through him.

[Ep24] She tells him that she believes in him. Zhou Si Yue was comforted by her words but she was wrong. It’s him who believes her. She is his truth.

[Ep24] And this is where I think Zhou Si Yue's second nerdy proposal was inspired. Since Ding Xian is his truth, she is his answer to all his uncertainties. And the biggest uncertainty of all is love. To him, the answer to his love is her. She is his forever and only solution.

[Ep3+Ep24] And since Ding Xian is the truth, if she says a dinosaur is a crocodile, it is a crocodile. No arguments about that.
[Ep7+Ep10] Retrospectively, I think it's romantic that Zhou Si Yue was always the one to believe her., to support her decision (e.g. choosing Science in 2nd year, convincing Mom Ding to believe in Ding Xian). Our boy always believed her.

Metaphors: Croco, Robot Siyue, and April

[Ep24] Croco represents the Truth (Ding Xian). If she says it's a crocodile, who cares if it's actually a dinosaur.

[Ep22] Robot Siyue (April) represents the Light (Zhou Si Yue) – our robot has a function to project a star that never dims.

[Ep14+24] To Ding Xian, Zhou Si Yue is April. In her words: “You are humankind's siyue and you are also my Zhou Si Yue.” It’s because of Zhou Si Yue, Ding Xian likes April (and spring), and it is because Ding Xian likes spring that Zhou Si Yue likes spring too.

Metaphors: Walking Together

Zhou Si Yue and Ding Xian both took turns to lead each other at different walks in life until they were at the same pace walking towards their future together.

[Ep14] In high school, Zhou Si Yue casually led Ding Xian in front with his grades and everything else. He initiated everything like calling her on New Year's Eve. He even walked faster than her. And then, she couldn’t catch up to him. Zhou Si Yue had replied with this: “Then from now, you walk in the front, okay?” ([Ep19] It’s almost as if Show remembers this and during the maze at the amusement park, Zhou Si Yue allowed her to lead him.)

[Ep14] Then when Ding Xian refused to walk, Zhou Si Yue piggybacked her. I say this is Drama's way of alluding how they'll walk from now on: together. If Ding Xian is tired, he'd carry her. If Zhou Si Yue is tired, she'd motivate him.

[Ep21] In Zhou Si Yue's confession (among his multiple confessions, lol), he had asked her "In our path towards the future, can we walk together?"

Buying sneakers to walk together in their journey of life.

[Ep21] I had thought it was weird for Zhou Si Yue to buy her a pair of sneakers. Yes it's more comfortable than her heels (from Su Bo Cong), and yes, her wearing it represents she's more comfortable with Zhou Si Yue, and yes, it also means Zhou Si Yue is the one she will walk her life with, but there is a superstition in Chinese culture to not buy your SO a pair of shoes or they'll run away.

[Ep21] And so I thought it was really sweet when Ding Xian gave him back a pair of sneakers, as if to negate the superstition.

[Ep24] But then I realized, it doesn't matter if there is a superstition for these two. The pinky promise (kiss) they had where the two of them promised to not “run away” is auspicious enough to trump over any superstition.

20121221; Fireworks

Ding Xian had spent the 2012/2013 school year alone without Zhou Si Yue, but he was still there –omnipresent.

[Ep4/5] Ding Xian’s first New Year’s Eve at high school was spent holding Zhou Si Yue’s hand as she watched the fireworks with him. From that year, her life begins with him.

[Ep15] On December 21, 2012, the day the Mayans predicted the world would end, Zhou Si Yue set off fireworks for Ding Xian. On that night, although she didn’t see him, she had said, “If tomorrow the world does end, the person I want to see is you, Zhou Si Yue.” Whether starting the year, or spending the last days of the world, Ding Xian has chosen Zhou Si Yue.

Thus begins Ding Xian's new journey of catching up to Zhou Si Yue. She worked hard to get into Huaqing for him all alone that year.
[Ep5] But I’d like to say she wasn’t alone. In one of her diary entries: “Someone had once said that the person who accompanied you into the new year will spend the next year with you. I hope the person who said this didn’t lie to me.” That year, after the fireworks, they were indeed deskmates. Similarly, after 20121221’s fireworks, Zhou Si Yue also accompanied her. He was omnipresent in Siyue the Robot, in the fireworks, in her heart, in her Biology textbook ~

[Extra] It's just regretful that Ding Xian couldn't accompany Zhou Si Yue for that year's summer – his toughest days. If she had a time-travel machine, she'd go back to that summer and stay with him, and unconditionally help him.

Miscellaneous

Generally I love how Drama balances Ding Xian and Zhou Si Yue's interactions (e.g. an action that Ding Xian does, Zhou Si Yue will mirror it a few episodes later and vice versa). There's also a constant interconnection of themes and motifs spanning the entire drama. Below are random details and parallels I didn't want to let go, so here they are:

[Ep04] She wore perfume on their first “date”

[Ep07] He wore cologne on their next hang out.

[Ep04] They held hands on the first “date" in the rain

[Ep19] They kissed on their first real date in the rain

[Ep07] She’s quick at learning pool from him – we get a semi-hug

[Ep21] She’s also quick at learning latte art from him – we get a very cute stamp

[Ep15] She has an 暗格里的日记 (A Diary Hidden in a Corner)

[Ep24] He has an 暗格里的秘密 (A Secret Hidden in a Corner)

[Ep07] He gave up Science for her in high school.

[Ep07] She gave up Art for him in university

[Ep16] She would go abroad for him.

[Ep24] He would give up going abroad for her.

[Ep18] He lectured her for sacrificing her life for his dream.

[Ep24] She lectured him for sacrificing his dream for her.

[Ep15] He rejected her with this: Sorry, I don’t have any intentions to date

[Ep20] She mockingly rejected him with this: Sorry, I don’t have any intentions to date

[Ep21] He asks to date her now

[Ep21] She asks to date forever

[Ep01] She moved back to her hometown in the first episode

[Ep23] He saw her from the balcony

[Ep23] He moved back to his hometown in the second last episode

[Ep23] She greets him from the same balcony

[Ep24] Zhou Si Yue's parents had a long distance relationship and they weathered the storm

[Ep24] Zhou Si Yue and Ding Xian also have a long distance relationship and they too lasted with their everlasting love.

[Ep24] She's didn’t want to cancel her wawaqing

[Ep24] And so he gave her two proposals. One to negate the cancellation and the other to put into the positives? :D

Colours

Frankly, I don't like Ding Xian's clothes but I love the colours, especially how they always matched with Zhou Si Yue's. Drama not only balanced the story, but also the colour coordination in their clothes~ I love the palette!!